JAMES LARUE

EDUCATION

• University of Illinois, M.S., Library and Information Science (August 1981)

• Illinois State University, B.S., Philosophy and English (May 1977)

JOB HISTORY

• DIRECTOR, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, Colorado. March 1990 -- present.

• LIBRARY SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR, Greeley Public Library, Greeley, Colorado. May 1987 -- March 1990.

• ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, Lincoln Library, Springfield, Illinois. December 1983 -- April 1987.

• CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT HEAD, Lincoln Library, Springfield, Illinois. January 1982 -- December 1983.

• ASSISTANT LIBRARY PROFESSOR, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois. September 1981 - December 1981.

ORGANIZATIONS AND AWARDS

• BCR (Bibliographic Center for Research) Board of Trustees, Delegate At-Large, 2008-2010.

• Parker Economic Development Council Board, 2008-2009.
• Julie J. Boucher Award for Intellectual Freedom, Colorado Library Association, 2007.
• OCLC Membership Council, Executive Committee, 2007-2008.
• John Cotton Dana Award for the Douglas County Libraries, 2007, for the 2006 project "Page to Stage."
• Chairman, Douglas County Youth Initiative Executive Board, 2006-2007.
• Castle Rock, Colorado Masonic Lodge, "Man of the Year," public sector, 2005.
• National Council of Teachers of English/Support for the Learning and Teaching of English Intellectual Freedom Award, 2004.
• BCR Representative: OCLC Membership Council, 2005-2008.
• Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce's 2003 Business Person of the Year.
• Treasurer, Douglas County Youth Initiative Executive Board, 2006.
• President, Castle Rock Players Board, 2004-2005.
• Board Member, Castle Rock Players, a community theater group, 2001-2004.
• Advisory Council, School of Library & Information Management, Emporia State University, 2000-present.
• President, Public Library Association, a division of the Colorado Association of Libraries. 2001-2003.
• President, Colorado Council for Library Development, 2002-2003.
• Chairman, CCLD Advocacy Committee, 2001-2002.
• Charter President, Rotary Club of Castle Rock - High Noon, January 1, 2000-July, 2001.
• Julie J. Boucher Award for Intellectual Freedom, Colorado Library Association, 2000.
• President, Colorado Library Association, October 1998 to October 1999.
• Colorado Librarian of the Year, 1998.
• President, Central Colorado Library System Board. 1995-96
• Board member, Academy Charter School. 1993-94, 1995-96
• Castle Rock Breakfast Rotary Club, 1992-1999. Charter President, High Noon Rotary Club (Castle Rock), 2000-2001.
• Co-chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee of Colorado Library Association. 1988-89

PRESENTATIONS

• “The Indispensable Library,” keynote address for the Wisconsin Strategic Visioning Summit for the Wisconsin Council on Library and Network Development, Green Lake, WI, May 5, 2008."Transforming Libraries and Communities," presentation for North Suburban Library System, Wheeling, IL, April 29, 2008.

• "Evaluating the Library Director," presentation with Eloise May, Howard Rothman, and Mark Weston, Public Library Association, Minneapolis, MN, March 27, 2008.

• "Chasing the Library Patron," a workshop for the Northwest Regional Library System, Bowling Green, OH, March 7, 2008.

• "Transforming Communities," panel presentation at American Library Association annual conference, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2007.

• "An Evening with Jamie LaRue," presentation for the Nebraska Library Association, Lincoln NE, September 14, 2006.

• "Elvis Has Left the Building: Reaching Out to the Community," presentation for the Mountain and Plains Parapros, Regis University, Denver, Colorado, August 11, 2006.

• "Four Generations: How to Talk ... and to Listen ... to Everybody," presentation for Christ Episcopal Church, Castle Rock, Colorado, May 5, 2006.

• "The First Amendment and the Library Bill of Rights," presentation for South East Area Library Symposium, Canon City, Colorado, April 27, 2006.

• "A Trustee Manual," for the Colorado Association of Libraries Trustees Division, November 11, 2006, Englewood, Colorado.

• "An Offer They Can't Refuse: Community Based Librarianship," presentation for the Mountain Plains Library Association, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, October 14, 2005.

• "The Offer They Can't Refuse," for the South East Area Library Symposium, Canon City, CO, April 22, 2005.

• "Why People Censor," presentations for the Colorado Language Arts Society (Colorado Springs, March 12, 2005) and the Teen Literature Conference (Denver, April 2, 2005).

• "Open Source: Open Minds," Dynix Institute (web conference), May 12, 2004.

• "Community Based Funding: An Offer They Can't Refuse," Texas Library Association, San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 2004.

• "Library Districts," with Eloise May, Texas Library Association, San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 2004.

• "Self-Assessment for Library Boards," with Eloise May, Public Library Association, Seattle, Washington, February 26, 2004.

• "Measuring Your Library's Success: What Can and Can't (or Won't) Be Measured," with Keith Lance, "Community Leadership as an Effective Library Trustee" workshops, Pueblo, Colorado, February 20, 2004.

• "Forming a Library District or a Regional Library Authority," with Eloise May, "Community Leadership as an Effective Library Trustee" workshops, Pueblo, Colorado, February 21, 2004.

• "Threats and Opportunities Facing Libraries," with Susan Ooton, "Community Leadership as an Effective Library Trustee" workshops, Pueblo, Colorado, February 21, 2004.

• "Planning Your Life," High Plains Regional Services System workshop on "Nurturing Your Inner Manual Librarian," Greeley, Colorado, January 23, 2004.

• "Principles of Customer Service," Waukegan (IL) Public Library, November 7, 2003.

• "Open Source I," for the Arkansas Valley Regional Library Services System, Pueblo, Colorado, April 4, 2003.

• "Intellectual Freedom," and "How to Be a Player," for the Southwest Regional Library Services System conference, Alamosa, Colorado, November 15, 2002.

• "Building Libraries -- and Community," Colorado Association of Libraries annual conference in Keystone, Colorado. October 18, 2002.

• "Generations," address for the National Junior Honor Society Induction ceremony, Castle Rock Middle School, February 20, 2002.

• "The Next 100 Years," keynote address for the 9th Annual Metro Area PARAPROS Conference, Greeley, Colorado, August 11, 2000.

• "The New Inquisition," presentation for the New Mexico Library Association, Taos, New Mexico, April 27, 2000.

• "Books and Bytes," program for Denver Rotary Club (5th largest Rotary Club in the world), Denver, Colorado, March 23, 2000.

• "Unraveling the Web: Who's Watching What the Kids Are Watching," keynote address for the Hawaii Library Association, the island of Hawaii, November 13, 1999.

• Presentation on filters with Hank Long for the Public Library Administrators of Northeast Texas, Paradise, Texas, October 21, 1999.

• "Why Didn't They Teach Me This Stuff in Library School: Intellectual Freedom and the Real World of Day-to-Day Library Work," and "Filters: the Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre," with Hank Long, Director of the Englewood Public Library, for the Plains and Peaks Regional Library Service System membership retreat, Florissant, CO, June 11, 1999.

• Colorado Public Radio, Morning Edition, March 9, 1999. Interview with Hank Long, Englewood Public Library, and Helen Gray, Colorado Public Radio on Englewood's new "smart card" system and Internet filtering.

• "Balancing Act: Internet and Everything Else," "Taking Your Case to the Public," and "Three Views on 'Collecting' The Internet," for the High Plains Regional Library Service System Annual Retreat, Estes Park, Colorado, November 20 - November 21, 1998.

• "Becoming a Player," "Information Rights of Children," October 30-31, 1998, presentations for a joint conference of the Southwest Regional Library Services System and the New Mexico Library Association, Taos, New Mexico.

• Keynote address for the Metro Areas Parapros annual conference, Regis University, Denver. "The Sound of Silence: Censorship at the End of the Twentieth Century." August 7, 1998.

• Speech at the President's Program and User Services Association of the American Library Association, June 29, 1998, Washington, D.C. (reactor panel for Stephen Talbott's keynote speech).

• "Becoming a Player," keynote address for "Marketing as If Your Library or School Depended on It: It Does," sponsored by the Arkansas Valley Library Services System and the Plains and Peakes Regional Library Service System." December 4, 1997, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

PUBLICATIONS

• “The Next Chapter: Reinventing Myself at the Library,” Colorado Libraries, Volume 34, Number 1, 2008, pp. 10-13.

• The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.

• "Why People Challenge Library Materials," The Whole Library Handbook 4, ed. George M. Eberhart. Chicago: American Library Association, 2006. pp. 475-479.

• "Designing the Twenty-first Century Library," Colorado Libraries, Volume 32, Number 1, Winter, 2006, p. 22-24.

• "Why CAL (Colorado Association of Libraries) is important," Colorado Libraries, Volume 31, Number 3, Fall 2005, p. 2.

• "Tuxcards and KnowIt: Open Source Outlining," Newsforge, June 8, 2005.
  software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/06/01/2026225&tid=130

• "Buddha at the Gate, Running: Why People Challenge Library Materials," American Libraries, December 2004, volume 35, Number 11, p. 42-44.

• "Bus full of books led to library career," The NewsSun Online, November 30, 2004.

• "Get the church out of the state," Denver Post, November 12, 2004. 

• "Linux Lite: Cobind and the Simpler Life," for OS News website, June 14, 2004.

  www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=7355

• "Finding the Path to Sustainable Public Computing," Interface (electronic magazine of American Library Association), Volume 26, Number 1, Spring 2004. www.ala.org/ala/ascla/asclapubs/interface/archives/contentlistingby/volume26/sustainpac/sustainpac.htm

• "Inconstant Time," [sonnet]  Illinois Times, January 22, 2004. Also online at www.illinoistimes.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=oid%3A2870

• "Models of Demonstrating Impact: Castle Rock, CO," WebJunction website, webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=1205, published January 12, 2004.

• "Libraries make contributions to economic development," Colorado Municipal League Newsletter, Vol. 29, No. 24, November 21, 2003, p. 7.

• "Cooking the Books: Is Book Burning Protected Speech?" Colorado Libraries, Vol. 28, No. 3, Fall 2002, pp. 6-8.

• "Writing the Library Newspaper Column," with Jeffrey Donlan, Colorado Libraries, Vol. 27, No.  4, Winter 2001, pp. 29-31.

• "The Coming of Big Brother," Library Journal, September 15, 2001.

• "Nine Principles of Boardsmanship," Wyoming Library Association website, www.wyla.org/boards/principles.shtml , September, 2001.

• "What Today's Libraries Really Need," Library Mosaics, Vol. 11, No. 4, July/August 2000, pp. 14-15.

• "Can't Get No Satisfaction: Library Pay in the 21st Century," American Libraries, Vol. 31, No. 3, March, 2000 pp. 36-38.

• "Colorado's Governor Doesn't Get It," Library Journal, Vol. 123, No. 12, July 1999, p. 65.

• "In Defense of Banned Books Week," The Ethical Spectacle (http://www.spectacle.org/) Vol. IV, No. 9 September 1998.

• "The Crisis in School Libraries," editorial for the Denver Post , May 14, 1998.

• Guest-Editor, Colorado Libraries, Summer 1997, volume 23, number 2. Also author of the introduction: "Funding Libraries in Colorado," p. 5.

• "Confessions of a Hackee: Fear and Panic in the Information Age,"Colorado Libraries, Spring 1997, pp. 12-15.

• "Internet Freedoms and Filters: Roles and Responsibilities of the Public Librarian on the World Wide Web," 1997, published by the Colorado State Library and the Central Colorado Library system. Also online at www.jlarue/iff.html.

• "Hacked!" American Libraries, August, 1996, pp. 35-36.

• "A Guide to Homeschooling for Librarians." (book review) RQ Spring 1996 v35 n3 p440(1).

• "Measuring the Quality of Library Services," Trends in Law Library Management and Technology. December 1995/January 1996, Vol. 7, No. 5, p. 6.

• "The Body Electric," column for the Wilson Library Bulletin , September 1993-June, 1995.

• "Library Bindings," weekly column for the Douglas County News-Press , April, 1990-present.

• "Between the Lines," column for the Weekly News Chronicle, August, 1993-October, 1997.

• "Reading with the enemy," Wilson Library Bulletin, January, 1994, vol. 68, Issue 5, p. 43 ff.

• "Don't forget libraries in the drive for better education," Centennial State Libraries, October 1991, vol. 7, no. 10, p. 4.

• "Is Anybody Home? -- Home Schooling and the Library," with Suzanne LaRue, Wilson Library Bulletin, September, 1991, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 33-37, 136.